Man 'stabbed girlfriend, 21, to death and drowned her in a creek as their two young sons watched in horror'

A Kansas City man has been charged Monday with killing his girlfriend as their two young sons watched and wept in terror.

Jackson County prosecutors charged 43-year-old Ja (Jay) Ray with first-degree murder in the stabbing and drowning of 21-year-old Essence Willoughby last November.

Family members said Willoughby had ended her relationship with Ray, but on the day of her murder, she agreed to go to church with him and their two boys.

Tragedy: Ja Ray, left, has been charged with stabbing and then drowning his ex-girlfriend, 21-year-old Essence Willoughby, during an argument in a wooded area

According to police, Willoughby was slain after the service in a nearby wooded area as their children, ages two and three, sat nearby.

The Kansas City Starreported the older of the boys gave police details about the attack and helped officers find his mother’s body, which also led them to a key piece of evidence that allegedly linked Ray to the murder.

The victim’s relatives told the paper that sh and Ray had been together since she was 14 years old, but Willoughby left him. Not long before her death, the woman enrolled in a criminal justice program in hopes of becoming a police officer.

On November 11, the 21-year-old mother of two accepted Ray's invitation to go to Gilbert Memorial AME Church on Topping Avenue with him and their children.

According to court documents, all four left the service together and headed for a wooded area nearby.

Unable to reach Willoughby on the phone hours later, her mother called Ray, who told her that his ex-girlfriend left the church with a man he didn't know, leaving their children in his care.

That night, the 43-year-old dropped off his sons with an unnamed witness and asked that person to look after the kids, according to court papers.

Witnesses: the coupe's two young sons, ages two and three, sat in the grass and watched the murder unfold

The witness stated that with his father gone, the three-year-old revealed that he saw Ray punching Willoughby in the face during an argument.

His mother was 'bleeding in her face as she was screaming and kicking in the sticks,' the boy said.

The child then went on to say that he witnessed his father stabbing his mother in the stomach. As the woman fought for her life, her two toddlers helplessly sat in the grass.

According to the court documents, Ray then drowned Willoughby and buried her body in a pile of leaves.

The following day, the three-year-old led detectives and family members from the church to the wooded area, showing them the spot where the 21-year-old's body was discovered lying face down in a creek.

Bright future: Willoughby was studying criminal justice was was hoping to become a police officer

At the scene, investigators discovered a blood-stained blue and white Kansas City jacket and a black knife handle. DNA testing eventually linked both Ray and the victim to the items.

The 43-year-old has a history of criminal activity. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to domestic assault and was sentenced to two years of probation. Following Willoughby’s murder, he was arrested on a probation violation.

Ray is being held on $250,000 bond, and he was order not to have contact with any witnesses in the case.